Fiqh of Uḍhiyyah (The 'Eid Sacrifice)
Updated: Jun 25
Uḍhiyyah refers to the animal sacrifice done during the days of Eid al-Adha.
Hukm (Ruling) of Uḍhiyyah
Uḍhiyyah is a stressed sunnah for travelers and residents who are not:
slaves
performing Hajj
poor
It's therefore a stressed sunnah for men and women, for young male or female orphans and children¹ if they meet the three aforementioned conditions.
The Species of Animals that Can be Sacrificed
The only species that can be offered as uḍhiyyah are (in order of preference):
sheep (at least one lunar year old)
goats (at least 13 lunar months old)
cows or buffalos (at least three lunar years old)
camels (at least five lunar years old)
The Time of Uḍhiyyah
Uḍhiyyah may only be performed from the 10th - 12th of Dhul Hijjah. It is not valid to offer an uḍhiyyah after the sun sets on the 12th. The time for the uḍhiyyah begins on the 10th after the imām has finished slaughtering his animal, if he brought his animal to the 'Eid musallā.²
The best times (in order) for slaughter:
10th of Dhul Hijjah = Morning until Dhuhr comes in
10th of Dhul Hijjah = Afternoon until the sun sets
11th of Dhul Hijjah = Morning
12th of Dhul Hijjah = Morning
11th of Dhul Hijjah = Afternoon
12th of Dhul Hijjah = Afternoon
The Conditions of Validity of Uḍhiyyah
There are four conditions of validity:
Performed in daytime
Being Muslim
The ownership of animal is not shared
The animal is free from major defects (such as: missing limbs, blindness, no tail, unhealed, broken horn, clearly limping, etc.)
Sharing the Reward with Others?
In a family, not every person has to have their own uḍhiyyah. Rather, one uḍhiyyah can be shared with others if all of the following conditions are met:
being a wife/relative of the one sacrificing
living in the same home as the one sacrificing
being financially dependent upon the one sacrificing
Remember to intend sharing the reward of the uḍhiyyah with others before the sacrifice itself.
Do’s and Don’t’s Before and After the Sacrifice
Before
Switching animals for a better or similar one is permissible
Shaving the wool and selling it is disliked
Drinking the milk from it is disliked
If the sacrificial animal has a baby before the sacrifice, it is recommended to offer the baby as a sacrifice along with its mother
After
Eating, gifting and giving the meat in charity to poor Muslims is preferable, though a fixed ratio of distribution is not specifically recommended
Feeding the meat to non-Muslims, even if they’re family, is disliked
Selling or trading ANY part of the animal is forbidden
Other Uḍhiyyah-related Rulings
Avoiding trimming nails and hair before the sacrifice is recommended
This is for both the person doing the uḍhiyyah, and those he is doing on the behalf of (like his family)
Saying Allāhumma minka wa ilayka at the time of slaughter is disliked
Slaughtering on behalf of a deceased person is disliked
Sacrificing an animal in Rajab is disliked
You can appoint a representative in a different country, send the money to them, and they do it for you and distribute the meat there, but be careful that your donation is made to someone trustworthy
[1] In which case the guardian of the child/orphan will purchase the animal using the child’s/orphan's wealth.
[2] It is not valid to sacrifice one’s animal before the imam or at the same time as him.
This article was written by advanced Markaz Imam Malik students Abdallah Mathieu Gallant and Joshua de Jesus. Students Tariq Patanam and Heraa Hashmi also checked this article.